Greens call for ban on plastic straws, single-use bags

All single-use plastic shopping bags and straws would be banned under a new and ambitious Greens push to curb Victoria’s growing rubbish problem.

Rubbish collected in a trawl from Melbourne's Yarra River.

The Andrews government has moved to ban some plastic bags from next year but the Greens want much stronger prohibitions, calling for a phase-out of many items that Victorians use every day.

Read the story by Benjamin Preiss from The Age - “Greens call for ban on plastic straws, single-use bags.”

EU to ban plastic straws and cotton buds in effort to cut pollution

Brussels: The European Union has proposed banning single use plastic products like cotton buds, straws, stirs and balloon sticks when alternatives are available in an attempt to reduce litter on  beaches and ocean beds.

Plastic straws are on the EU's environmental hit list.

The European Commission said its proposal would seek to cut marine litter in half for the 10 most prominent items and avoid environmental damage estimated at over $250 billion over the next dozen years.

EU Vice-President Frans Timmermans said that plastic cutlery would not be banned completely, but steps would be taken to have them made of sustainable materials when possible.

Read the story from The Age - “EU to ban plastic straws and cotton buds in effort to cut pollution.”

Taiwan Announces Ban on All Plastic Bags, Straws, and Utensils

All single-use plastic must be phased out by 2030.

Ordering take-out, picking up groceries, buying a soft drink — these are all activities that will change over the next decade in Taiwan when the island nation imposes a blanket ban on single-use plastic bags, straws, and cups, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

It will be one of the farthest-reaching bans on plastic in the world, and it demonstrates the momentum of the anti-plastic movement as the scale of environmental harm caused by the substance is fully realized.

"We aim to implement a blanket ban by 2030 to significantly reduce plastic waste that pollutes the ocean and also gets into the food chain to affect human health," said Lai Ying-yaun, a Taiwanese Environmental Protection Agency official, in a statement.

Read the Global Citizen story by Joe McCarthy - “Taiwan Announces Ban on All Plastic Bags, Straws, and Utensils.”

Final straw? Darebin bans balloons, other plastics from council parks

Balloons, water bottles and other plastics, including bags, straws and cups, are to be banned from public land in part of Melbourne’s north in a bid to reduce pollution.

There'll be no balloons at your next park party.

Darebin Council, which includes Northcote, Thornbury and Preston, has voted unanimously to prohibit single-use plastics from being used or sold on council land.

“They are polluting our parks and waterways, including our many creeks,” Greens councillor Trent McCarthy said.

The ban includes the use of balloons at parties, festivals, workshops and markets and during election campaigns on all council property, including public parks. 

Read the story by Chloe Booker in The Age - “Final straw? Darebin bans balloons, other plastics from council parks.”

Great Barrier Reef operators sign-up for 'The Last Straw' to tackle plastics

More than 30 tourism operators in Cairns and Port Douglas have signed-up to ban plastic straws at businesses within the Great Barrier Reef.

The 11 billion pieces of plastic in Asia-Pacific
oceans are tipped to increase 40 percent by 2025.

Founder of The Last Straw on the GBR, Nicole Nash, who is also a marine biologist, said plastic straws are ending up in the bellies of turtles and other marine life.

"Straws are something that people don't think twice about using," Ms Nash said.

Read the ABC News story by Kristy Sexton-McGrath - "Great Barrier Reef operators sign-up for 'The Last Straw' to tackle plastics.”